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Retired Chicago Cop Accused of Shooting, Killing Wife in Spring Grove

February 5, 2017

A retired Chicago Police officer has been charged with killing his wife, also a retired Chicago Police officer, on Friday in northwest suburban Spring Grove.

Lorin E. Volberding, 71, was charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife and ordered held on $100,000 bail, according to McHenry County sheriff’s office records.

Officers responded at 1:23 p.m. on Friday to a home in the 10800 block of East Riviera Drive after a 911 call was placed by a neighbor, according to the McHenry County coroner’s office. They found Elizabeth M. Volberding, 68, with a gunshot wound to her neck. She was pronounced dead at 2 p.m. An autopsy on Saturday found she died of the gunshot wound.

Lorin Volberding was taken into the custody later Friday, Spring Grove police said.

Elizabeth’s daughter, Jennifer Tilson, was contacted about her mother’s death Friday evening, her husband, Randy, said on Sunday. The couple lives in Rock County, Wisconsin.
“It wasn’t really unexpected and that’s a terrible thing to say,” Randy Tilson said of the news of his mother-in-law’s death.

The Volberding’s relationship was frequently abusive and violent, the Tilsons said. The couple distanced themselves from from them in 2007 after they discovered Lorin had been physically abusive to their son.

“[Elizabeth] would call us and ask to stay with us, something she never followed through with,” Randy Tilson said. “She lived in fear.”

The Tilsons said they believe Elizabeth’s death could have been prevented, perhaps if authorities had pressed charges after an incident in 2015 when Lorin barricaded himself inside the Spring Grove home and threatened Elizabeth at gunpoint for several hours.

“From our point of view, this was entirely preventable,” Randy said. “If you have barricaded someone inside a house at gunpoint, you should remove the guns.

Lorin was never charged in the incident, the Tilsons said. It’s something they plan to continue to look into and have contacted and attorney to help them.

Jennifer said her mother and step-father both retired from jobs at the Chicago Police Department in January 2000. Chicago Police were not immediately able to provide information about their employment.